How to Display Hidden Files and Folders in Windows 7

Sometimes there are files that you need to modify in Windows to tweak your favorite program, but when you go to look for them it seems like they don’t exist. Often this is simply because the file is marked as hidden, and by default it won’t show up in your explorer window; Windows does this mostly to keep the average user from accidently deleting important application files, but for a power user it just gets in the way. Let’s make those hidden files visible!

Step 1

Click the Start Menu Orb and then ClickComputer.

Step 2

Click the Organize menu button and then SelectFolder and search options.

Step 3

Click the View tab and check the bullet for Show hidden files, folders, and drives.*

*If you need to see protected operating system files, you can also uncheck the option for that but it is recommended you leave them hidden.

Done!

You should now be able to see all of your hidden folders throughout Windows. To test it, you can go into your %userprofile% directory and look for the AppData folder. If AppData shows up, everything is good to go.

You have the ‘neatest’ most informative site I have run across. A friend got me on to you and I just love it!! The pictures of exactly what you describe leave no doubt for non-techies. Thank you for your time and sharing information.

Hi Shirley! Thank you for the feedback! I do my best to keep the site clean and informative so thank you for the feedback! Oh, and welcome to the site! Hope to see you around in the comments as well! ; )